Hunter jerked his head back, inadvertently yanking Tiana forward. She knocked into his chest, sending both of them crashing to the floor. Her temple struck the corner of the passage wall as she landed across him. The blow snapped her head back, all thought gone in a split second.
41
Jenna
Dripping wet and utterly miserable, Jenna pushed open her front door. On the way home all she could think about was Kelley touching and kissing Ash, and doing all the things that she wanted to do and doing it a hell of a lot better, because the bloody slut had way more experience than she did. It made Jenna want to smash the double-crossing bitch in the face, because Kelley was obviously doing this to spite her.
Jenna trudged inside her house, then jolted in surprise as four pairs of eyes looked up at her. Her mother and two brothers were sitting on the brown suede couch, while her father was on the Lazy-boy. There were cups and glasses on the coffee table and a plate of biscuits. Already knowing it was way too early for her brothers and father to be home, Jenna glanced at the clock above the fireplace. 2:28 PM greeted her unhappy gaze.
Her father’s deep baritone voice broke the silence. “Where have you been, Jenna?”
“Ash’s place.”
He frowned, deepening the lines across his forehead. “C’mere, love, we need to discuss things.” Except for inheriting her father’s blond hair and blue eyes, Jenna didn’t resemble him in temperament or looks. Instead, she took after her mother.
Her mother stood up and edged past the coffee table and Vic, Jenna’s seventeen-year-old brother. Her mother’s long brown hair was pulled back, and she was wearing cargo pants and a pink sweater. And she was practically vibrating. But unlike Jenna, her mother never hit out, her voice her choice of weapon. “What is wrong with you? Hitting people isn’t normal behaviour. Where did my sweet girl go? Because, dammit, I didn’t raise you to be a violent thug.”
No, but my brothers did. Jenna glared at the two losers. Nate, her nineteen-year-old brother, swiped a handful of biscuits off the plate, while Vic grinned, probably enjoying her being in trouble.
Her mother continued, “Jenna, don’t you dare look at me like that! This is not my doing, this is yours. You have to start taking responsibility for your actions.”
Dumping her bag, Jenna bolted for the bathroom and quickly locked the door. She was in no mood for arguing, because her mother never gave in until Jenna apologised or stormed out of the house.
Her mother banged on the other side of the door. “Jenna, stop running away from me. I know what this is about; it’s that bloody boy again. You never acted up before him.”
“It’s not Ash’s fault!”
“Whose is it then?”
“It’s Salma’s.” And Kelley’s.
“I have no idea who Salma is, but if you keep acting violently someone is going to get seriously hurt one of these days. And why do you keep coming home with bruises on your face? You never answered me the other day and I’m sick of getting fobbed off...”
Jenna peeled off her dripping wet clothes and dumped them in the basket by the sink. She turned on the shower and stepped under the water, letting it muffle her mother’s rant. Squeezing her eyes shut, she tipped her head back and gargled, then spat the water out as anger began to well up again.
‘I want to know why you’re so violent,’ the principal’s words played through her mind, a question so similar to her mother’s.
“Cos I’m angry,” she answered the thought, not caring if her mother heard. “And I don’t hit people for no reason.” Like Kelley. Jenna punched the shower wall, aching for it to be Kelley’s face. She breathed out, trying to calm herself down. She didn’t know how things had turned out this way, because Kelley used to be her best friend last year. Yeah, it had only been for a couple of months after Jenna had been transferred to Kelley’s class, but they’d gotten on so well.
Jenna leaned against the wall, still confused as to why Kelley had suddenly stopped talking to her after Jenna’s fifteenth birthday party. She didn’t know what she’d done wrong or why she’d been cut out of Kelley’s group. She’d asked Kelley, but all she’d gotten was ignored. And now Kelley wasn’t satisfied with killing their friendship, she had to stick the blade in by getting Ash.
An image of Kelley on top of Ash flashed before her eyes, making Jenna punch the wall harder. Banging and her mother’s concerned voice came from the bathroom door. Jenna slowly inhaled and exhaled to calm herself down, then turned off the shower and got out. After drying herself, she wrapped the towel around her torso then brushed and plaited her hair, knowing that she was going to be besieged as soon as she left the bathroom.
As quietly as she could, she unlocked the door, then yanked it open and ran past her mother and father, who were arguing in the passage. Jenna slammed her bedroom door shut, then leaned against it as someone tried to get in.
“Stoppit!” Jenna yelled. “I hafta get dressed.”
“Then hurry up and get out here,” her mother replied.
“Why are Nate and Vic home?” Jenna asked. Nate was going to tech while Vic worked as an apprentice mechanic.
“I thought they might be able to help, because I’m really scared that something bad is going to happen to you … or has happened to you. Why’re you acting like this, honey? Please tell me. Has someone hurt you?”
Jenna looked down at her feet. She wanted to tell her mum, but felt too ashamed, yet the words still ran through her mind…
Not physically, but I’d rather get punched by Fa all day long than face what Ash and Kelley did. They left me, like I wasn’t worth the time to forgive, and now even Cassidy doesn’t wanna be my friend after only a few arguments. It’s always been like that. Everyone thinks I’m shit-hot for a short time then they lose interest, tossing me aside after screwing me over one way or another.
“Jenna?”
“What?”
“What happened? You didn’t used to be like this. Please talk to me, tell me what changed. Or am I the problem? I know I yell a lot—”
Jenna exhaled loudly. “No, Mum, you did nuthin’ wrong, I did.” Cos no matter what, I always do something to piss people off. It doesn’t matter whether it’s intentional or unintentional—the results are always the same.
“What didja do?”
“I don’t know, I just know I did something wrong.”
“You’re not making sense, Jenna.”
“Please, just lemme get dressed, then I’ll come out.”
“Okay, I’ll be in the lounge.”
Jenna waited a few seconds, then grabbed some underwear, socks and a T-shirt out of her pink and white cabinet. She pulled them on, along with a pair of cargo pants, trainers and her red bomber jacket. Once her shoes were laced, she opened the window and climbed through. Mud sprayed her pants as she landed onto the soggy ground. Wary of getting caught, she quickly climbed over the fence and took off down the road, heading for Kelley’s house.
***
Jenna hadn’t been to the O’Brian’s place since last Christmas, when she’d visited to find out why Kelley had been ignoring her phone calls. And like now, Kelley hadn’t been home. The small wooden unit was locked up tight with no windows open or car on the gravel driveway, while the neighbour’s place, joined by a common wall, was pumping loud rap music.
Jenna started moving on the spot to get out the nervous energy twisting her gut. Although she was gambling on Kelley’s mother being at work, the possibility of running into the woman made her feel uneasy. The thought also made her reconsider her original plan on confronting Kelley at school.
A car horn tooted, snagging her attention. Across the road, a blue sedan pulled out of a driveway, then drove off, leaving behind a woman and little girl. Jenna’s gaze shifted past them. A short distance away Kelley was walking with her head down, not paying attention to where she was going. The little girl squealed, “Kells bells,” making Kelley look up.
Jenna quickly moved behind a tall tree covered in pink
buds. Kelley held out her arms for the girl. The pre-schooler hugged Kelley, then lifted her feet off the ground while still holding on, making Kelley yelp. The woman scolded the little girl, who let go and ran off, disappearing into a row of brick units. The woman patted Kelley’s arm then ran after the child. Without looking, Kelley turned and walked across the road. As she reached her driveway, Jenna stepped out from behind the tree.
Kelley jerked back, her expression frightened. “Why’re you here?”
“I want ya to stop seeing Ash.”
“But, I’m not seeing him.”
“Don’t lie! I saw you at his place.”
Kelley’s eyes widened. “It’s not what you think, I was just comforting him.”
“Yeah,” Jenna spat. “I know your definition of comforting.”
“We only watched a movie and Tiana’s over there now. I left after they started arguing.”
Jenna’s hands clenched into fists. “Pro’bly over you.”
“I promise, I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Your promises mean shit, like your friendship. You ditched me for no reason, and now you’re taking Ash from me.”
“He isn’t yours to take, he dumped you.”
Jenna took a step closer. “You’re a nasty bitch!”
Kelley flinched, but remained in the same spot. “Me? You’re the one who keeps attacking me when I did nuthin’ to you.”
“Liar! You wouldn’t talk to me after my party, then tried to steal my boyfriend.”
“You knew I liked Ash, but you still went and asked him out.”
“I didn’t ask him, he asked me, and you had stopped talking to me well before then, so stop all this bullshit and tell me the bloody truth for once.”
“I-I...” Grimacing, Kelley’s voice went soft. “I couldn’t take seeing your brothers, so I kept away.”
Jenna screwed up her face. “What the hell have my brothers gotta do with things?”
“I felt bad ‘bout your phone messages, so I visited.” Kelley started crying. “Your oldest brother answered the door. It hurt seeing him—”
“You slut!” Jenna cut Kelley off. “If you touched Nate I’ll tear you apart!”
Kelley stepped back like she’d been slapped. For a moment she gaped at Jenna, then anger crept across her face, twisting it into someone unrecognisable. “You bitch!” Kelley screamed. “You only give a shit ‘bout yourself, never see anything but your closed li’l world. I blamed myself for months, but it was your fault, yours! I lost everything cos of your stupid party. I lost my brother cos of you!” Kelley threw her bag at Jenna.
Kelley’s words didn’t make sense, but what Jenna did understand was the hate, something she felt right now as the bag hit her in the chest. The impact barely registered as Jenna charged at Kelley, who was already running away from her. Rage overtook thought, making Jenna pound the pavement faster than she’d ever run. Kelley could normally outrun her, but right now there was no way the bitch was getting away.
Houses flashed past without recognition, only Kelley’s red jumper her focus. Frustration overwhelmed Jenna as Kelley started pulling further away. Gritting her teeth, Jenna ignored the stitch in her side as she pushed herself harder. A car screeched to a halt as she shot across a side road. Jenna smacked the bonnet, then jumped up onto the footpath.
Up ahead, Kelley flew towards a corner dairy. She knocked into a man as he exited the shop, sending what he was carrying clattering to the concrete. Quickly righting herself, she started running again and bolted onto the adjoining road.
Jenna jumped over the spilled produce as tyres screeched; the sound and sight of a white van making her come to a sudden halt. She watched in horror as the van rammed into Kelley, the impact lifting the girl off the road and throwing her down. A man shouted something behind Jenna, snapping her out of her shock. She ran for the road and dropped down next to Kelley. The girl lay on her back with blood staining a patch of auburn hair. The sun shone down on her expressionless face, her eyes not seeing its glare. Feeling helpless, tears ran down Jenna’s face as she stared down at Kelley’s unmoving body, a girl who’d once meant so much to her.
42
Tiana
Movement awoke Tiana, then a second later pain hit her. Her right temple hurt like crazy, partly throbbing partly stinging, while the jerky way she was being moved made her want to throw up. She opened her eyes as she was lifted out of what was obviously an ambulance and placed onto a gurney.
“Tiana?” Ash’s voice sounded relieved. He started babbling, but she couldn’t register what he was saying, her sore head taking most of her attention.
The gurney was rolled through sliding doors and into a large interior space that looked like Middleton Hospital’s emergency room. Nurses dressed in lavender and people in everyday clothing milled about. The gurney stopped a few feet away from a large doorway.
“You can wait over there,” the tall blond ambulance officer said to someone behind Tiana. He pointed to a row of yellow seats.
“No, I’m staying with her,” Ash replied.
“I’m sorry, but you can’t come in with us.”
“I wuz allowed to go in there when my brother wuz hurt.”
“You can’t today.”
“This is bullshit, I told ja I didn’t hurt her, but you keep lookin’ at me like I did.”
“That was not my intention. Please, just wait over there.”
“No, I’m goin’ with her and you can get fucked if ya think you’re stopping me.”
“Ash!” Hunter snapped. “Cut it out. You can wait out here with me.”
The ambulance officer opened the door and the gurney started moving again. A scuffle sounded behind Tiana.
“Hunter! Lemme go,” Ash shouted.
The door closed, shutting out Ash’s voice. She was pushed past a nurses’ station and around a corner, stopping next to a metal bed. The ambulance officers lifted Tiana onto the mattress. As they left with the gurney, a short nurse pulled the curtains around the bed, then started fiddling with something behind Tiana’s head. On the other side, the curtain parted and a tall, skinny man appeared. He was forty-something and wearing clothes that reminded her of her science teacher: White coat, shirt, brown pants and a garish tie.
He lifted a hand up. “How many fingers do you see?”
“Three,” Tiana said automatically. She was confused at how she’d gotten here when she’d only just been at Hunter’s house. She remembered falling and… Oh God, she had shouted at Ash about his rape. “I wanna see Ash,” she said, sitting up. Her hand went to her head, the sudden movement hurting it more.
“Lay back down,” the doctor said. “You’ve had a bad knock to your temple.”
Tiana did as instructed. “I want Ash.”
The nurse on the other side answered. “Are you referring to the teenage boy with the black hair or the big Maori bloke?”
“The younger one.”
The nurse handed over a clipboard to the doctor. The doctor took it and started reading. Once done, he looked back at Tiana. “The ambulance officers were concerned about how Ashley Rata was behaving in the ambulance, which is why he wasn’t allowed in here. Mr. Rata stated that you were feeling sick prior to your fall. Is that true?”
“Yes,” she said, but if Hunter hadn’t jerked back she probably wouldn’t have fallen. But that hadn’t been Hunter’s fault, because Ash had punched him. Was Ash in trouble because of it? The thought increased her worry. “I was also feeling faint.”
The doctor pulled out a pen from his pocket and wrote something. “How long have you been feeling unwell?”
“A few weeks now. I’ve had a flu bug.”
“Have you seen a doctor for this?”
“No, my mum doesn’t like wasting money when it’s just a flu bug. She said it’ll go away on its own.”
“Any other symptoms?”
“Sore stomach, vomiting and water tastes gross.”
“Are you sexually active?”
&nbs
p; Tiana went stiff, his question taking her by surprise.
The doctor stopped writing and looked up. “I’m sorry if I’ve embarrassed you, but I need to eliminate all possibilities. Plus, those symptoms could be an indication of pregnancy.”
“I can’t be; I took the morning-after pill.”
“Did you vomit afterwards?”
“Yes.”
“That may explain things.” His gaze moved to the nurse on the other side of the bed. “Please bring Miss Lilu a pregnancy test.”
The nurse pulled one of the curtains back and left.
“But I can’t be pregnant,” Tiana said.
“If you vomited within a few hours of taking the morning-after pill then it may not have had enough time to work.”
All pain in Tiana’s head was forgotten as panic flooded her. “I’m four days late.”
“We’ll wait and see what the test shows. I’ll also get the nurse to give you suitable pain relief once we find out the results.”
Tiana closed her eyes as the doctor’s footsteps receded. No, no, no, she couldn’t be pregnant, because she’d done everything right with taking the morning-after pill. And she had the pill in her for at least two hours, possibly three, so no matter what the doctor said that had to be enough time. And if she was pregnant she would be feeling sick only in the morning, not all day, otherwise it would be called all-day-sickness, NOT morning-sickness.
Running footsteps snapped her out of her thoughts. She looked up as Ash darted past a nurse, his eyes searching the room until they settled on her. He headed for her bed, glancing back once before pulling the curtains around. His cheeks were flushed and his hair messy. “You okay?”
She wanted to apologise, but was afraid to bring his rape up again. “My head hurts,” she said, not knowing what else to say.
He screwed up his face like he was in just as much pain as she was. “I’m really sorry.”
“It’s not your fault, it was an accident.”
“You wouldn’t have fallen if I didn’t hit Hunter. I told the ambulance guys you were sick. Not a lie, but I kinda let them think it wuz why you fell. I wuz afraid Hunter would get blamed, cos he’s got a police record,” he babbled, “although after what happened out there I think they blame me. They were asking me—”
Graffiti Heaven (Graffiti Heaven #1) Page 27
